Cherry season is in full force around the Bay Area and when our neighborhood market decided to put their organic cherries on sale at $2.99 a pound ….. I went crazy. As in 8 pounds of cherries sitting in our kitchen, crazy. One would think we had cherries for days; but, these gems were amazing and did not last long. Sweet. Juicy. Plump.

We have been enjoying them by the handfuls as well as in a few sweet dishes and even cocktails. A favorite summertime dessert that we enjoy is the Clafoutis. Last week I made a Clafouti out of fresh berries. Now you may be wondering what is the difference between a Clafoutis and a Clafouti; nothing. In Anglo countries the traditional French dessert Clafoutis is referred to as a Claufouti. Since posting my berry Clafouti, I have learned that I was wrong in my writing, as it is properly called a Flaugnarde when one uses berries – I must change that. Anyhow, since my Clafouti really wasn’t a Clafouti, I decided to make another one. This time a traditional Limousin Clafoutis to be exact. Have I lost you yet? Wondering what all this Clafoutis vs Claouti is all about?

A traditional Limousin Clafoutis is a baked dessert made out of black cherries and a thick custard batter. The Limousin style Clafoutis leaves the pits in the cherries as it is suppose to give the sweet dessert an intense flavor. If you remove the pits, the flavor of you Clafoutis is supposedly more mild. Realistically ……. we could not tell the difference. To keep with tradition and because we are Francophiles, I kept the pits in. As well, it is kind of fun, to nosh on ones dessert and spit out pits at the table. How often did your mother allow that when you were growing up?

I have been wanting to play around with some coconut flour as I am really enjoying the use of coconut oil in my baking; so I figured now was as good a time as ever. Coconut flour is gluten free as well as high in protein. It is made from the coconut fiber once the oil has been completely extracted in order to make virgin coconut oil. The texture is a bit heavier than regular AP flour, as well as a little grainy. The dense texture required me to bump up the liquids in my recipe as the first batch came out dry. I loved the slightly tropical scent to the flour, which only intensified when baking, as well as the slightly sweet taste. Definitely added more depth and experience to my otherwise not traditional Clafouti.

Recipe: Gluten Free Cherry Clafoutis

3 cups whole cherries, you decide if you want to pit

3/4 cup whole-milk

1/2 cup cream

5 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon almond flour

4 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

powdered sugar for garnish

Wash fruit and let dry; about 20 minutes. If still damp, I pat them dry with a paper towel if there is any moisture left. Melt the butter and set a side to cool. Heat oven to 350. Butter a swallow glass baking dish or individual ones and scatter the cherries over the bottom of the baking dish. In a blender combine rest of the ingredients and blend until mixed; about 3 minutes. Pour over the fruit. Set the dish on a cookie sheet, just in-case it spills over a bit; this will keep your clean oven clean. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes. The top will be golden and center will only be slightly jiggly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve. Eat.

** Chez Us is participating in Food Network’s Summer Fest 2011 where we will be sharing great recipes using seasonal produce. You can find other delicious dishes using cherries at Food Network and these sites:

share

subscribe

for weekly updates

author

Denise

My name is Denise, and I am the Chief Cooking Officer of Chez Us. I confess, I love everything about food; the look, feel, smell and taste. In fact, the first thing on my mind when I crawl out of bed, besides that first cup of coffee, is what we will be sharing at the table later that day.